The view on sub-Saharan Africa is changing. No longer do stories of tribal wars, starving children and endemic diseases dominate the updates from the region. A new, more hopeful and optimistic picture is emerging; a reality of solid GDP-growth, more widely practiced reasonably free and fair elections, and a wealth of natural resources that range from oil and gas to diamonds and rare minerals.
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Apr 20, 2013
One popular critic to microfinance is it promotes businesses that don´t bring value. For instance, giving a loan to a woman to start a tomato shop beside 10 other tomato shops. Instead of creating value, it divides it.
This is why one of the biggest bets from Kiva are green loans. Under this category you can have solar lamps, ecological kitchen and other type of products that aim to improve families standard of life.
I was not sure of the effectiveness of this type of loans until I met….. He has a very humble family that lives in the coast of El Salvador and he is a fisherman...
Apr 19, 2013
Uganda
As a life-long foodie one of my burning questions before coming to Uganda was “what is the food like?” After two and half months in Kampala I’ve had my share of Ugandan food both in the city and in the village.
Most offices have subsidized lunches which can cost as little as 1,000 UGX ($0.40) but most are probably around 2,000 to 3,000 UGX ($0.80 to $1.20). A bargain either way! The typical meal is made up of at least 2 types of starch, a protein, and vegetable.
Sadly, I’ve discovered that seasoning or spice is non-existent in Ugandan cooking. The starch takes...
Apr 17, 2013
United States
By: Abhishesh Adhikari
One of the best parts about my Kiva Fellowship has been the opportunity I get to meet and interact with entrepreneurs. During the 4 months that I spent in Kyrgyzstan, I helped Bai Tushum (Kiva’s partner MFI) launch a new Startup Loan Product and met a wide variety of entrepreneurs all across that country. After I got back from Kyrgyzstan in January, I have been working on a new Kiva project called Kiva Zip, trying to expand it here in Chicago.
Kiva Zip is a new initiative to make interest-free, small business loans to entrepreneurs in...
Apr 13, 2013
Guatemala, Nicaragua
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This blog post was co-authored by Jeff Nelson, KF20 Guatemala and Matt Bastone, KF20 Nicaragua. We recently met-up on Jeff’s home turf in Guatemala to witness one of the most important religious holidays throughout all of Latin America: Semana Santa. We were inspired to write this post because, well, it was an amazing experience and an important tradition in many people’s lives.
Photo taken in the Guatemalan town of Santa Catarina Palopó, which is situated on Lake Atitl...
Apr 13, 2013
Mongolia
Spring has arrived in Mongolia! That means warmer weather (afternoons creeping closer and closer to the double digits)… and, of course, baby animals!
I had the opportunity to travel to Selenge aimag (province) last week with XacBank, one of Kiva’s partners in...
Apr 11, 2013
Dominican Republic
by Rose Larsen | KF20 | Dominican Republic
One of my first tasks upon arriving in the Dominican Republic was to visit 10 borrowers, chosen at random from all of the borrowers with ASPIRE (Kiva’s partner MFI), to verify data and find out how they are doing on their loan. This was an exciting but challenging introduction to daily Dominican life, as I navigated Santo Domingo and the surrounding areas via shared taxis, public buses, motorcycles, the metro and my own feet. I traversed bustling neighborhoods in the center of Santo Domingo, small towns in...
Apr 10, 2013
Albania
This month I was lucky enough to meet a man that made a tremendously deep impact on me and I can't shake the image of his face from my mind. Please allow me to introduce Hamit, an entrepreneurial pig farmer living in the Korca region in the south of Albania that I had the pleasure of meeting on a recent field visit.
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Apr 9, 2013
Global Update
In early February, I interviewed female borrowers in rural Guatemala. Fresh in the field, I was intimidated by seasoned farmers, leathered hands, and weathered grins. My pleated khakis seemed out of place. We bounced through conversation enjoying the novelty of unfamiliar company.
When a female farmer, Fidelia, described the success of her artichoke crop, I commented that I like artichoke dip. Fidelia...
Apr 7, 2013
Indonesia, Timor-Leste
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Usually when I've been in places that I declare to be "artificial" I am thinking of a Disney theme, or a place like Cabo San Lucas or Cancun - southern California or Florida transported to Mexico - a place which bears little resemblance to what it would be like if it weren't for the tourist dollars it was created to attract. Of course, Las Vegas is the archetype for turning a desert into a sweet water oasis, of sorts.
The Jesus statue from the hills above Dili.
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